He Deals in Lust
by Fifi McFu
Summary: Ventus is worried about his twin, who is being corrupted by the school bully Vanitas.  In a bid to save Roxas from himself, Ven ends up making a twisted bet with Vanitas.  Resist him for two weeks, and Roxas is free.  Sounds easy, right? VanVen, yaoi
1. Chapter 1

**So, this must be coming as a bit of a shock to any of the KAIWS readers that were still watching me... I know I haven't written a Kingdom Hearts fic in a long time, but I _did_ promise Birth By Sleep action at some point and I finally found the motivation to do it! The motivation came from the fact that there are virtually NO decent VanVen fics on this site, so I decided I'd write the pairing myself! Blame _Hot Crimson Passion_ for posting a ridiculously hot VanVen the other day and getting me all hot and bothered over the pairing.**

**Anyway, this is probably only going to be a two or three chapter long story, I haven't decided yet... But I hope you enjoy it! I'm certainly enjoying writing it...**

_**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and the characters mentioned in this work of fiction belong to Square Enix. I make zero profit from writing this.**_

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><p>Lately, the smell of smoke had been infused in Roxas' clothes. It bothered Ventus. He knew that for all their external similarities, he and his twin were very different people and he didn't expect Roxas to change. However, ever since they had started at high school Roxas had been deviating further and further away from the brother that Ven knew and loved. He barely showed up to classes, although Ventus knew that he was somewhere on school grounds because they always came to school together in the same car. At lunch, Roxas wouldn't sit with Ventus like they had always done in middle school. Instead, he loitered in the corner with some older students, the kind of people Ventus made a point to avoid.<p>

It saddened Ven. Roxas was smart, and so much better than the person he chose to be.

He hadn't spoken to their parents about it; he didn't want to get Roxas into trouble. Their brotherly bond was already stretched pretty thin by the distance Roxas was putting between them, and Ventus knew that if he ratted his twin out then Roxas would probably never forgive him. He didn't even say anything to their older brother, although he knew that Cloud was aware of the issue; Cloud was in his final year of high school and even though he was often busy with classes and school council duties, he wasn't blind to Roxas' chosen group of 'friends'.

Still, Ven didn't know if he could let it carry on much longer. Roxas still had a dream to become a lawyer, and Ven wasn't about to let him throw away that dream because of peer pressure. He only wanted what was best for his twin.

Which is why one day about halfway through the spring semester, Ventus skipped class and followed Roxas and his friends.

He kept a safe distance away and made sure they didn't see him as they made their way across the athletics field towards the fence that surrounded the entire compound. At the fence, they followed it around to the left until they were between it and the wall of the gym. Peering around the corner and watching them cautiously, Ven saw Roxas take a cigarette off his red-headed friend and spark up.

In total, there were six people in Roxas' little friendship group. There was Roxas himself and the tall red-head, as well as a boy with long silvery hair, another with dark hair that fell heavily over one eye and a blond who Ventus knew was called Demyx because he did the morning announcements on the school P.A. system. There was also Vanitas, who happened to be the older brother of Ventus' friend Sora. He was the most intimidating of the group with his well-built body, dark hair and disturbing amber eyes.

For some reason, it was Vanitas to whom Ven directed all of his hatred. Whilst the older twin knew that it wasn't just Vanitas' influence that had caused Roxas to change, he felt like the boy was still to be held responsible. He was evidently the leader of the group and made the decisions. And Ven didn't like the way he was always hovering over Roxas, whispering sweet corruptions in his ear. Vanitas was like a demon, slowly feeding Ven's brother with poison.

Right now however, Roxas had distanced himself a little from Vanitas and was talking in lowered tones with his red-headed friend. Ven could tell that Vanitas didn't like this from the way he pursed his lips every time he glanced over at them, his strange eyes narrowing. It was as though Vanitas considered Roxas to be his tortured possession, and like a child he was loathe to share.

Ventus wasn't sure what he planned to do now that he was here. He hadn't skipped calculus and followed them all the way here just to watch them smoke and chat amongst themselves. But what could he do, exactly? His first instinct was to reveal himself, snatch that wretched cancer stick from Roxas' lips and throw it as far as he could, but he was terrified of the reaction that it could incur. He didn't want to make Roxas hate him; he was trying to get his twin back, not push him even further away.

He backed away quietly around the corner so that the group was out of his sight, wandering a little back towards the school and kicking at stones thoughtfully. It was a hot day even for spring and his white shirt was sticking to his torso. He wished that shorts were allowed in high school because his trousers were far too warm for him.

He came to a stop next to one of the windows that looked into the sports hall of the gym. It was early morning, so the building was empty and the lights were off, giving him a good view of his reflection. If he pretended hard enough, he could almost be face to face with Roxas. Everything from the shape of their eyes to the unruliness of their blond hair was identical. The difference between them was in their demeanours; although Ventus was the older twin, he had a younger, more innocent expression. He was always smiling, his eyes shining with happiness. Roxas had a permanent frown on his face, a scowl that reflected his angrier personality. It was the only way people were able to tell the two of them apart.

Right now though, Ven wasn't smiling at all. His expression was one caught between sadness and frustration, reflecting how helpless he felt in the situation. He didn't know what to do that would make Roxas realise he was making bad choices. He knew that it was selfish; trying to almost control his twin's life like this, but Ven didn't want to watch Roxas pave his own path to destruction. Roxas had the wits and intelligence for something much better than this; he just lacked the motivation.

"What's this?"

Ven whipped around at the deep voice. He hadn't heard anybody coming, and for one minute he was terrified that it was a teacher and he was in trouble for playing hooky. But it was much worse than that. Somehow, Vanitas had managed to sneak up on him and was now towering over him with his arms folded over his chest and a dangerous smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Ventus Strife, skipping class? This _is_ a surprise."

"Vanitas," Ven growled, his heart tattooing fear on the inside of his ribcage with every thundering beat. He couldn't break eye contact with the older boy for some reason; those disturbing yellow eyes were almost magnetic, holding his own blue ones fast in chains. He backed away a few steps but his back was met almost immediately with the window he had been staring into just moments before. Great, cornered by the person he feared and despised the most.

Vanitas didn't make any move, his grin only widening. "Ventus, if you wanted to join our little group you only had to ask. What, you decided that you were bored of being the goody-two-shoes and wanted to have some real fun?"

"You're wrong," Ven muttered, his hands balling into tight fists. His palms were sweaty. "I came here to get my brother back."

One black eyebrow rose in a perfect arch and Vanitas cocked his head to the side in a strange, almost animalistic way that unnerved Ven and entranced him at the same time. Vanitas was like... like a panther in a human body, strong and agile and feline, and dangerous to boot. "Get him back? What makes you think that Roxas _wants_ you to get him back? He's a big boy, he can make his own choices."

"You're just messing with him," Ven spat, "You're feeding his mind full of crap, making him think that school doesn't matter! You're screwing up his future!"

Vanitas snorted and shifted a little, kicking a stone and transferring his weight to his other hip. Every movement was deliberate, lithe and controlled. "That's cute, Ven, really."

Ven clenched his teeth. "Don't call me that." He was getting angrier by the second, and Vanitas was only adding fuel to the flames. In fact, he was fairly sure that Vanitas was deliberately pissing him off. "Leave my brother alone!"

"Or what? You'll score higher on the SATs than me?" Vanitas chuckled, a dark sound that made the hairs on Ven's arms raise despite the heat. "What are you gonna do, Ven? You can't make me or your brother do anything."

"I said don't call me that!"

Vanitas moved. It was so fast that Ven's eyes could barely keep up with the movement before a hand was slammed into his shoulder hard enough to make him crash back against the window. Pain shot down his arm but he barely noticed because Vanitas was right in his personal space, one leg between Ven's and his free hand splayed out on the glass right next to Ven's head.

"I'll call you whatever the hell I like." Vanitas' eyes were so terrifying and yet so mesmerising when they were this close. Blood thumped in Ven's ears, louder with each passing second of eye contact. The hand on his shoulder was squeezing it tightly, the fingers digging sharp bruises into his skin. "I decide when I'm done with your brother, not him and certainly not a pathetic little nerd like you."

"You..." Ven could barely muster the strength to speak. For some reason, he could barely breathe when Vanitas was this close to him, their chests only separated by their shirts and a few inches of air. "You son of a bitch...!" He swung his fist out at Vanitas.

He almost caught the older boy off guard. Almost. The hand on the window moved at the last second, catching Ven's fist moments before it came into contact with Vanitas' face. The older boy's hands were much, much bigger than the blond's, and Ven grunted in pain as his fist was enveloped in Vanitas' hand and squeezed hard enough to make his knuckles crack.

"Well, you may be a nerd but you've got guts at least." Was that... approval in Vanitas' voice? The smirk was still plastered firmly on his face, his eyes blazing with dancing amber flames that made Ven recoil, trying to tug his fist free without much success. "I might play with you for a while."

"Like hell!" Ven groaned in pain as his arm was pinned to the window above his head, Vanitas letting go of his shoulder and doing the same with his other arm. "I'm not some toy you can play with, and neither is Roxas! You're sick and twisted!"

Vanitas was ignoring him, wrestling with Ven until his wrists were crossed and held firmly in one of Vanitas' larger hands. The free hand then dragged down the window before moving to grab Ven's chin harshly, tilting his head back to look Vanitas properly in the eye.

"You still don't get it." Vanitas' voice was quieter, but Ven heard every word as crisp and clear as a summer's day. "You don't have a choice. _Roxas_ doesn't have a choice. You're playthings, I call the shots here."

"You're just a bully," Ven growled, wincing when Vanitas' fingers dug into his jaw roughly.

"What makes you think I care?"

Ven's breath caught in his throat as the older boy pressed closer, shoving his leg between Ven's thighs and moulding their chests together. Vanitas was a good few inches taller than him, his breath hot and heavy on Ven's face and a pleased flush spreading over his tanned face. "It's weird, you and Roxas are so similar but so different. I think I like you better. You're more defiant."

"Pervert," Ven hissed, tugging futilely at the grip Vanitas had on his wrists. He flinched when a calloused thumb brushed across his lips, tugging the lower one down a little and baring his small, evenly spaced teeth.

"Heh, that's what they all say." The hand released Ven's chin, trailing down his side and tugging his school shirt out of his trousers before dipping underneath it. Ven bit his lower lip as he felt nails dragging down his torso, catching on every rib on the way down and carving red painful lines in their wake. He shuddered when Vanitas leaned in, breathing heavily in his ear. "But they never seem to complain when I make them feel good."

"Jerk..."

"Wow, you're just full of compliments Ven."

"Don't _call_ me that- aah!" Ven's head fell back against the window with a loud smack as he felt chapped lips grazing against the side of his neck, pursing in light, almost affectionate kisses as they tracked their way down the column of his throat, before retracing their route with teeth and tongue and a trail of burning bruises. Soft golden lashes formed crescents on Ven's flushed cheeks as he clenched his eyes shut, his mouth opening to accommodate his heavy breathing.

"Hmm, that's better..." Vanitas' voice was a dark purr, seeping into Ven's skin like a shroud and making his knees buckle. The hand under his shirt trailed back up, exploring his chest blindly with teasing scratches and pinches, as Vanitas' lips began to brush up over the curve of Ven's jaw and he started to roll his hips against Ventus' in a slow, tormenting circle that ripped a loud moan from the blond's throat. Vanitas chuckled. "Now who's the pervert?"

"Sh-shut up! Get off me!"

"Hmm, not yet..." Vanitas' tongue slipped out to wet his lips, brushing against Ven's cheek briefly. "I've got a few more minutes to play with you..." He jerked his hips forward, smirking at the second, slightly more defeated groan that the action elicited. "And I don't think you really want me to stop."

Ven shook his head, eyes still screwed shut. He was slowly losing the capacity to think beyond the friction between his and Vanitas' hips, every breath that passed his lips now being voiced as a quavering whimper.

"No? You want me to stop? What about if I do this?" Ven choked out a gasp when two warm calloused fingers closed around his nipple and pinched roughly, and then Vanitas' mouth was on his and a slick, pierced tongue was wrestling its way past his lips, tracing the ridges of his teeth and forcing his own into submission so fast that he barely had a chance to fight against the intrusion. Vanitas tasted like smoke, making Ven screw up his face in aversion. His whole body was writhing against the larger boy, trying to get away from the assault of sensations and at the same time begging for more abuse, abuse that Vanitas was perfectly happy to administer. Ventus' body was like a blank canvas that Vanitas was determined to mark, with his teeth, his nails, his bare hands as his pallet.

Ven was mortified to find that in the chaos of sensations, he had started to kiss the older boy back, and what was worse, he wasn't doing anything to stop himself. Everything felt too good, too intense, he didn't know if he wanted Vanitas to stop or keep going until he burst.

Just as he felt he would rather the latter, Vanitas stopped, stepping away and releasing Ven from his clutches. Without the support of Vanitas' leg between his thighs, Ventus' knees gave out and he slid down the window to the floor, heart pounding so hard he thought it was going to smash right out of his ribcage. There was a raging storm of heat swirling low in the pit of his stomach, burning with the need for more of that delicious friction that Vanitas was now cruelly denying him.

"Why... Why did you stop...?" he panted, craning his neck to look up at the tall, shadowed figure who had now shoved his hands in his pockets casually, as if they hadn't just been pressed together from lips to throbbing groins.

Vanitas was still smirking, the sunlight catching his eyes and making them seem to glow, a powerful contrast against his jet-black hair. "Because I know that you'll come back for more. Lust is like a drug in some ways. You'll hold out for a while, I reckon, 'cause you're stubborn, but in the end you'll give into the cravings. And I'll be more than happy to give you a fix."

"I'm _not_ your plaything," Ventus snarled, pushing his hair out of his eyes to show a defiant glare. "And I refuse to be controlled by you!"

"That's the spirit. We'll see how long you can hold out, shall we? Tell you what." Vanitas surprised Ven by suddenly dropping into a crouch, a cigarette already dangling from his lips and reminding Ven of how his kisses had tasted. "If you can hold out for two weeks, I'll leave your brother alone. If not, well, you're both mine." He grinned toothily, the smoke caught between his teeth. "Sound like a deal?"

"You're lying. You'll never hold up your end."

Vanitas did that strange, panther head-tilt again, before straightening up again. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a liar Ventus." The cigarette left his lips briefly as he flicked the ash off the end, and then it was replaced. "Two weeks. Let's see if you can hold out that long. I'm interested to see how strong your willpower is."

He gave a little salute, his eyes ablaze with intrigue. "See you around. I had fun." He turned and began to walk away, back towards the group who hadn't seemed to notice his absence because nobody had come looking for him.

Ventus slumped back against the wall and covered his face with his hands. Two weeks of avoiding Vanitas sounded easy, but the burning in his stomach made him dread every moment of those two weeks. But if Vanitas really was telling the truth, this could be the perfect opportunity to make Roxas see sense. If Vanitas held up to his end and left Roxas alone, surely then Ven would be able to make him see that school was more important than smoking behind the gym?

If it would help Roxas, Ven would take whatever Vanitas threw at him.

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><p><strong>So yeah... There's the first chapter for you all. I hope you enjoyed it! I'm a bit rubbish at updating stories right now, so I apologise if this isn't updated as soon as you would like, but I will try to write the next chapter as quickly as possible! Until then, many thanks for reading!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it took so long to update this! I've had exams and my thesis deadline looming, but that's all over now so I should be able to get the next chapter up much quicker. On the plus side, I think this is going to be a lot longer than the original three chapters I had planned. Plot bunnies went wild in my head, what can I say?**

**Anyway, I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint! Enjoy.**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I make any profit by writing this piece of fiction.**_

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><p>"So I missed you in Calculus this morning."<p>

Ven snapped out of his trance-like state in which he had been staring out of the cafeteria window, and refocused his gaze on Sora. "Huh?"

His best friend rolled his eyes, spearing a potato on his fork and putting it in his mouth before choosing to speak with a mouthful of food. "You didn't come to Calculus." He swallowed thickly before continuing. "Were you in the nurse's office?"

"Uh..." Ven debated quickly as to whether he should tell Sora where he actually was that morning and immediately decided against it. "Yeah, I had a bit of heatstroke so I went to lie down for a bit."

"Oh." Sora easily accepted the answer with a shrug, piling more food onto his fork. "But you're okay now, right?"

Ven nodded silently and went back to his chicken and rice without much enthusiasm. He was still mulling over the earlier events in his mind, trying to make sense of what had happened with Vanitas. It was because Sora and Vanitas were brothers that he had chosen to keep Sora out of the loop; it would only complicate things, and this was an embarrassing enough predicament without someone else knowing about it.

Pushing the rice around his plate with his chopsticks, Ven let his mind wander again, back to that moment by the gym where Vanitas had forced himself upon him and then abruptly taken the delicious sensations away. Ven's stomach was churning with the memory of how it had felt to have Vanitas' tongue in his mouth, tanned hands on his skin, and most importantly how their hips had been crushed together to create a violent friction that Ven was aching to feel again.

Vanitas had told him to resist him for two weeks. Before this morning, Ventus would have taken on that challenge without a second thought, knowing it to be easy because Vanitas repulsed him in every way.

Now, it was different though. It was like Vanitas was a drug dealer and was responsible for Ven's first high, and now he was challenging Ven to not seek out that high again.

"Are you sure you're okay dude? You seem really out of it."

He snapped his gaze back to Sora, who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and concerned eyes. Ven quickly looked away. He could see too much of Vanitas in his younger brother, and it made the churning in his stomach that much more prominent. "I'm fine, just tired."

"Well, maybe you should go back to the nurse and ask to get sent home?" Sora set his knife and fork down on his tray, his food already gone while Ven's plate was practically full. "You look a little flushed as well."

It was a tempting offer, but Ven shook his head. "I'll be fine once I've eaten a little." To prove his point, he picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks and popped it in his mouth, chewing the food without tasting.

He really did want to go home. That would be the easiest way of avoiding Vanitas after all. But he was doing this twisted bet for the sake of Roxas and his school future. To go home and skip classes would almost be like he was reversing their situations, putting his own grades at risk for the sake of his twin's.

He just had to stay away from Vanitas, it was as simple as that. He and the older boy ran in completely different circles and he didn't even have any classes with him. The only time he ever saw Vanitas at school was at lunchtime, and right now the dark-haired boy was over on the other side of the cafeteria with Roxas, a good enough distance away that Ven didn't feel tempted to go over and talk to him.

He finished his food whilst Sora updated him on what he had missed in Calculus, and when he was done they both got up and disposed of their plates and trays. "You feel any better?" Sora asked as they walked out of the cafeteria and headed towards their lockers to pick up their books for English Literature, their next class.

Ven nodded, his hair falling in his eyes. "Yeah, thanks. Now I've eaten I feel fine."

"Great!" Sora's smile was almost blinding. "So you can still come over my house tonight, right? Pizza and Playstation, remember?"

_Shit._ Ven had completely forgotten that he had agreed to do P&P (as they called their Pizza and Playstation night for short) at Sora's house that week. Which meant that a certain older brother of Sora's would almost certainly be there too.

"Uh, I dunno. I should probably study," he muttered as they reached their lockers.

Sora groaned as he put in his combination and opened the locker door, several sheets of paper spilling out onto the floor as he did so. "Ven, finals aren't for like two months! And you already agreed to P&P earlier on this week." He bent down to pick up the papers and Ven opened his own locker, a sour expression on his face.

"You're right. I'll head over about six, is that okay?"

"Sounds perfect." They gathered up their copies of _Twelfth Night_ and their notebooks and shut their lockers, heading down the hall towards the English department and dodging groups of chattering students as they did so. Ven tried to mask his annoyance as they walked, making small talk with Sora and trying to act like nothing was wrong.

_Why the fuck did Vanitas have to be my best friend's older brother?_ He didn't know if he could handle a whole evening in the presence of the guy. Normally, Vanitas left them well alone on P&P night, claiming he had better things to do than play Final Fantasy with a couple of nerds, generally bringing over a couple of his own friends and blaring loud rock music from his bedroom. But Ventus was positive that after this morning's events, Vanitas was going to be a lot more present this evening than he usually was.

_I just have to make sure that I'm not left alone with him, that's all,_ he thought as they entered the English classroom and took their seats at the back. Roxas was already there, his feet on the desk in the corner as he messed about on his phone and ignored everybody. Ven didn't even bother greeting him. He was too preoccupied with thoughts of this evening. _And if I AM left alone with him, I just have to ignore him. It's not like I've suddenly got the hots for him and I'm gonna jump him as soon as the opportunity arises._

But what if Vanitas jumped _him?_ Would Ven be able to brush him off or would he give in and lose the bet before even a day had passed?

The rest of the school day was a jumble of lessons and homework assignments that Ven dealt with on autopilot as he continued to try and mentally brace himself for an evening with Vanitas. It was a difficult task. Every time he managed to convince himself that he would be able to resist the older boy, memories of their encounter by the gym would flood into his mind and a noticeable blush would rise up on his pale cheeks, and his mental walls would crumble under a wave of temptation to just give in to Vanitas and let the boy do whatever he wanted to him.

By the time the final bell rang and he and Sora were walking down the school steps together, Ven felt like he had been split in two and was now housing two completely different people inside him; one person was adamant that Vanitas would not get to him whilst the other was suffering from uncontrollable desires and kept whispering to him memories of how good Vanitas was at kissing, what his nails felt like as they had dragged down his torso underneath his shirt.

It was still unbearably hot outside, so when Sora asked him if he didn't just want to start P&P straight away instead of waiting until six o'clock, Ven had the perfectly reasonable excuse of wanting to go home and shower first.

"I just want to cool down and get a change of clothes," he assured Sora when they stopped on the sidewalk outside the school. "I'll be over at six, you want me to pick up the pizza on the way?"

Sora shouldered his backpack and wiped sweat off his forehead. "Sure, you know what toppings I want. And bring Silent Hill 2 over as well; I've been dying to play it."

They said goodbye and parted ways, heading in opposite directions on the sidewalk. Ven let out a deep breath of relief as he was released from the tediousness of having to maintain conversation whilst he was so preoccupied.

He and Roxas lived with their older brother Cloud and their parents in a small family house about a twenty minute walk from the school. Ven ended up walking so slowly in his deep state of thought that Roxas caught up with him before he'd even covered half the distance between school and home.

"Hey," he muttered to Ven quietly, a frown in place as he texted someone on his phone. He had ear buds in but one was dangling down on his shoulder so that he could hear beyond his music.

"Hi," Ven replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. Roxas cast a quick glance at him before turning back to his text conversation with disinterest. They walked in silence for the majority of the journey, which suited Ven fine as he continued to try and build up his mental defences against the onslaughts of Vanitas that were to come.

They were just around the corner from their house when Roxas put his phone in his pocket and turned his mp3-player off, looking at Ven seriously. "What's up with you today? Normally I can't get you to shut up."

"Hmm?" Ven shrugged a little, his shirt sticking to his skin in the heat. Cicadas thrummed in the bushes. "Just tired. I think it's the heat."

Roxas scoffed, winding his headphone cord up around his mp3-player. "Ven, you're my twin. I know when you're lying."

"I'm fine, okay? What's got you suddenly so interested anyway?" Ven knew it was a mistake to get snappy with Roxas as the last thing he wanted to do was push him away, but he couldn't help being irritable when he was under so much stress.

Roxas looked hurt for a brief glimpse of a second before he smoothed his expression over with his usual scowl. "So I'm not allowed to be concerned for my brother?"

"You never usually care, why start now?"

They were almost at their gate. Roxas stopped abruptly and grabbed Ven's wrist, forcing his twin to stop too. "Don't be an ass, Ven."

"Why?" Ven could feel his hackles rising. He was too hot and too stressed for this right now. "You're an ass twenty-four seven. Don't like the taste of your own medicine?"

He felt guilt and satisfaction welling up simultaneously at the way Roxas narrowed his eyes and he ground his teeth audibly. "Fine. Be a jerk, see if I care."

Ven wrenched his wrist out of his brother's grip, feeling it throb from where Vanitas had pinned it above his head earlier that day. Roxas' gaze flitted down at the action and his eyes narrowed even further.

"Why is your wrist bruised?"

Ven faltered, looking down at it himself and seeing that there were indeed finger-like marks wrapped around his arm. "You did that, you ass!"

Roxas pointed at his twin's other arm. "Then why are there bruises on _both _wrists? Who did that to you?"

"Like you even fucking care!" Ven threw their gate open and stormed up the front path, unlocking the door and stomping inside before Roxas could catch up and continue his interrogation. He quickly ran up the stairs to his room and slammed the door shut, relieved to finally be truly alone.

Throwing his backpack on the bed, he leaned back against the bedroom door and slid down it, heart beating as he looked at his bruised wrists and cursed Vanitas for ever existing. He heard his twin's footsteps on the stairs and waited with bated breath, half expecting Roxas to try and come into his room and demand an explanation, but Roxas merely stormed into his own bedroom and slammed the door into its frame so hard that the walls rattled.

Ven knew it was a mistake to get into a fight with his twin, especially when he had gotten himself into this twisted bet for the sake of winning his brother back in the first place. He couldn't help but feel a little resentment towards Roxas though. If it weren't for his twin's lack of willpower, Ven wouldn't even be in this questionable situation. Could this count as sexual harassment? It probably did, but Ven knew that telling someone was the biggest mistake he could make. Vanitas would make him regret it; he didn't need to be told that to know it as certain fact.

Running his hands down his face, he let out a long sigh and got back to his feet, unbuttoning his school shirt and ripping it off with relief. His skin practically sang as cool air hit it, instantly lowering his body temperature and taking the edge off the haze of frustration that currently clouded his thoughts. Kicking off his shoes and pulling off his trousers, Ven grabbed his towel and went into the bathroom that joined his room to Roxas', locking both doors and turning the shower on.

Whilst he waited for the water to warm up slightly, he hung his towel on the hook by the door to his bedroom and pulled his boxers and socks off, putting them in the laundry basket. He wandered over to the sink and braced his arms on the counter, looking at his reflection in the small mirror. His hair was a dark blond where it was damp with sweat, and his skin was shiny and flushed. The freckles on his cheeks were more stark than usual.

"This is so fucking stupid," he muttered, pushing himself away from the counter and climbing in the shower. He flinched as the lukewarm jet hit him but appreciated how it cooled both his body and his head, feeling sweat and worry wash down the drain. His hair flattened to his head and he pushed it out of his eyes before reaching for the shampoo.

As he washed his hair, feeling the hairs on his arms raise as his body grew cooler, Ven resolved to apologise to Roxas before he left for Sora's later. He was already feeling guilty for snapping at his twin, no matter how much he felt that Roxas partly deserved it, and he didn't want to endure an evening of torture from Vanitas with the added stress of being in a fight with his brother hanging over his head.

He rinsed the shampoo out and ran some conditioner through his hair, soaping himself up and then letting the water blast the suds off him and rinsing his hair out before turning the shower off.

He felt cooler, and more level-headed as he stepped out of the stall and reached for his towel. All thoughts of Vanitas were at the very back of his mind as he formulated his apology to Roxas, roughly drying his hair and then wrapping the towel around his lower body. Rather than head back into his own bedroom, he unlocked the door leading into Roxas' room and knocked before slipping inside.

Roxas was lying face down on his double bed, music blaring out of his laptop which lay beside him in the jumble of his sheets. "Go away," he growled into his pillow.

Ven ignored him and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge and pressing the pause button on Roxas' music. "Hey, I'm sorry for being a dick just now."

There was a moment of awkward silence where Roxas remained with his face in the pillow, and then the younger twin rolled onto his side to face Ventus. "You gonna tell me who gave you those bruises?"

"No."

Roxas blinked. Usually when Ventus apologised for something he conceded complete defeat, so it was a shock to still not be given the information he wanted. "Look, if you don't wanna tell me, then whatever, but at least let me know if you're in trouble. You're not, are you?"

"It's nothing I can't handle," Ven said with a shrug, droplets of water running down his arms at the action. "I am sorry for being an ass though, really. I was too hot and school is stressing me out a bit."

Roxas looked at him quizzically, as if trying to determine whether Ven was telling the truth or not. "You're sure you're okay? This person who hurt you isn't going to do it again, right?"

"Not if I can help it. I'm really fine." Ven smiled a little then. "Thanks for worrying about me though." It was a nice feeling, knowing that despite how much Vanitas had corrupted Roxas, he still cared about Ven. It left Ventus thinking that maybe the tie between them as twins wasn't quite as stretched as he had imagined.

"What are brothers for?" Roxas said with a boyish smirk, sitting up and reaching for his laptop. "You're going to Sora's tonight, right?" he asked as he turned the music back on, albeit a little quieter, and began checking his Facebook and emails.

"Yeah, I'm gonna leave here about half-five." Ven shifted on the bed a little. He wanted to go back to his room and get dressed, but he was enjoying having a civil conversation with Roxas too much to leave just yet.

Roxas nodded. "Mind if I come with you? Vanitas asked me to hang out with him."

Ven hesitated. If Roxas was there, surely Vanitas would be distracted and wouldn't try to harass him? Then again, Vanitas could have asked Roxas over so as to make it that much more difficult on Ven. If Vanitas tried anything with Roxas in the room, it would raise a lot of questions from his twin that Ven didn't want to deal with.

But if he said no to Roxas coming, it could raise even more questions and possibly start another fight.

Roxas was watching him curiously, waiting for an answer.

"Uh, sure, why not?" Ven shrugged again, trying to look casual and nonchalant. "I'm gonna pick up pizzas on the way over."

"Sounds good, I'll text Vanitas and ask him if he wants one too." Roxas pulled his phone out of his pocket and began to type a message. Ven watched him for a moment before sighing and getting up off the bed.

"Kay, well I'm gonna get changed and do a bit of homework. Let me know what pizzas to order before we go and I'll call ahead so they're ready when we pick them up."

Roxas nodded, still engrossed in his text. "Sure thing."

Ven stood there awkwardly for a moment before nodding and leaving the room, walking back into the bathroom and unlocking the door into his own bedroom. He quickly dried himself and pulled on a fresh pair of boxers, deciding not to put anymore clothes on until it was time to leave because it was just too hot. He picked out a pair of jean-shorts and a loose blue shirt though, and laid them out on his neatly-made bed before pulling his school work out of his backpack and sitting down at his desk.

He turned his laptop on and started to flip through his homework diary, trying to decide what he should work on first. He elected History and found the necessary textbooks before opening a new word document on the computer and typing out the title of the essay he was supposed to write.

And then he leaned back in his chair and stared at the screen unseeingly.

How on earth was he supposed to do any work when Vanitas was back at the front of his thoughts again? If he wasn't picturing the boy's mischievous face with his tanned complexion and striking yellow eyes, he was remembering how it felt to find out Vanitas had a tongue piercing by kissing him, he was imagining what would have happened if Vanitas hadn't stopped and had worked his hand into Ventus' boxers, grabbing the erection he would have found there and teasing it to release.

Ven covered his face with his hands, feeling his cheeks warming up with a flush that wasn't caused by the heat. _One_ encounter with Vanitas and suddenly he had a crush on the guy? That was ridiculous! Just because Vanitas had made him feel good didn't mean that Ventus suddenly had feelings for him. Ven didn't even _like_ the guy! He was manipulative and evil and had absolutely no future because he didn't do any school work.

"This is stupid," he sighed into his hands.

"What's stupid? And why aren't you dressed yet?"

Ven's hands dropped into his lap and he looked over his shoulder to see Roxas letting himself into the room. "This essay, it's really dumb. And it's too fucking hot for clothes."

Roxas chuckled. "True. Hey, so when you're ready to order the pizzas, I'll have cheese and mushrooms and Vanitas wants pepperoni. That cool?"

"Sure," Ven replied a little thickly at the mention of Vanitas' name. "You planning on staying the night at Sora's?"

"I dunno, are you?" Roxas leaned against the bathroom door, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Probably not." Normally Ven would stay over, but he didn't want to think about what would happen if he spent the night in the same house as Vanitas. Especially seeing as Sora and Vanitas didn't live with their parents and so they could stay up all night if they wanted.

"Aww, you should though," Roxas urged. "If we don't stay over then Mum will want us back before curfew. C'mon, it'll be fun."

Things were just getting worse and worse. Mentally committing suicide, Ven nodded in agreement. "Okay. I'll pack an overnight bag. At least it's Friday and we don't have school tomorrow."

Roxas agreed and then left the room. Ven smacked his face with one hand in frustration. "Now I'm _never_ going to get this essay done," he moaned, closing the word document without saving and choosing to just pull his shorts on and watch TV downstairs.

Anything to distract him somewhat from the worries of the evening to come.

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><p><strong>So? Please let me know what you think of the story so far, it means a lot to get comments, good or bad. Like I said, hopefully I'll be done with the next chapter a little sooner this time!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi all, sorry this took so long. Been swamped by my summer internship job, which luckily ends in a few weeks! I've also had some upsetting medical issues to deal with which have seriously affected my motivation. Thank you all so much for the continued support of my writing!**

* * *

><p>The pizza boxes were warm where they balanced on Ven's open palms. His overnight bag swung back and forth in time with his gait as he walked, smacking against the back of his thigh hard enough to make him pull a face every time it happened. Roxas walked beside him, also carrying pizza boxes, a rucksack slung on his shoulders and his headphones partially in as usual.<p>

It was still hot outside even though it was now technically evening. As they walked through the sleepy suburbs towards Sora and Vanitas' house they passed gardens being watered by sprinklers, and the occasional barbeque party where the smell of grilling meat would waft over onto the pavement and mingle with the various scents escaping their pizza boxes. Despite the heat, Ven's stomach was growling and demanding to be fed as soon as physically possible, which in a way he welcomed because it largely took his mind off his impending doom, otherwise known as spending a whole night in the company of one Vanitas Leonhart.

Roxas hummed along softly to the drum'n'bass song thumping in his right ear, somehow managing to coincide the tune with the thrum of the crickets in the bushes. Occasionally he would glance over at Ven, his large blue eyes slightly hidden under a veil of styled blond hair. Ven knew he was still wondering about the bruises on his wrists, but was confident that Roxas wouldn't bring the subject up again. But his twin was observant, and he would no doubt notice the tension between Ven and Vanitas over the course of the night and would start to piece two and two together.

There was no worry of Sora noticing anything, because as smart and charming as he was, the boy had about as much common sense as a piece of broccoli.

They were about five minutes from their destination when Roxas moved the pizza boxes he was carrying to balance on one hand whilst the other reached into his back pocket and pulled out his mp3 player. He turned it off, the crickets fully taking over the acoustics of the street, and put the gadget back in his pocket whilst he let the headphones dangle on his chest, supported by the t-shirt they had been threaded under. He re-adjusted his grip on the pizzas.

"You look kinda red."

"What? No I don't," Ven responded a little too quickly. Roxas raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Just making an observation dude. Your cheeks are really red, you look like Mum when she's been on the wine."

"It's the heat," Ven said dismissively.

"Sure," his twin drawled, sounding entirely disbelieving. "So what are you and Sora gonna do tonight? Play Playstation again?"

Ventus rolled his eyes. "Well, of course. That's why it's Pizza and Playstation night."

"Don't you do anything else though?"

"Like what?"

"Well…" Roxas looked up at the trees that hung still over them, as if searching for answer hanging from a branch. "Don't you like… watch porn or drink or normal stuff like that?"

Ven almost dropped his pizzas. "ROXAS! Why the fuck would I watch porn with my best friend?"

Roxas grinned toothily, a rather frightening resemblance to Vanitas in that moment. "Your face is _really_ red now. C'mon, don't tell me you've never watched porn before."

Ventus spluttered indignantly. "Yeah, _alone!_ Please don't tell me that you and Vanitas and your friends," (his voice hitched a little on the word 'friends') "watch porn _together!_ It's not a social exercise!"

"Oh loosen up a little, I'm only ruffling your feathers!" Roxas was positively cackling, his face mischievous and almost impish. "Jeez, anyone would think you were paranoid!"

Fortunately their arrival at Sora's house cut short any badly-formed retort that Ventus could come up with, thus ending Roxas' fun. Shifting his pizzas to one hand like his twin had done earlier, Ven rapped his knuckles on the glass part of the front door which was almost immediately wrenched open to reveal none other than…

"Hey, Vanitas." Roxas nudged past Ven and let himself into the house, kicking off his Etnies as he went. Ven's feet grew roots and pinned him to his spot on the doormat as two amber eyes fixed themselves on him, supported by a lopsided smirk.

"Ven, long time no see," the older boy drawled in his black treacle voice. "How've you been?"

Ventus desperately wanted to punch him. Vanitas knew _exactly_ how he had been: ruffled, nervous, angry and ridiculously horny for some stupid reason. But he couldn't react to Vanitas because Roxas was standing right there, nattering away about the new Marvel film coming out on the weekend and how maybe they should go and see it. So Ven just gave the older boy a wry smile and stepped past him into the house, just as Sora careered out of the living room looking like a man who'd never been fed and snatched his pizza away.

"Jeez Sora, I know it's only me but you could at least try to compose yourself around food," Ven muttered as he kicked off his sneakers. He heard Roxas snort as he and Vanitas started to climb the stairs.

Sora had run back into the living room, where the large flatscreen was already on and the Playstation 3 homepage was displayed, waiting for a game to be inserted and played. Ven dropped his bag on the coffee table and flopped down on the sofa next to Sora who was already tearing into the food like a wild beast. The blond extracted a few games from his bag and slid them across the wooden flooring where they came to rest next to the running Playstation.

There were ten minutes of blissful silence in which they filled their stomachs and exchanged ecstatic looks to sum up how amazing the pizza was, occasionally washing the junk food down with soda. Sora had barely licked the tomato sauce off his fingers before he launched himself across the room and grabbed the two games Ven had brought and eyed them almost suspiciously.

"This any good?" he asked, holding up Assassin's Creed 2. Ven nodded, his mouth still full of pizza. Sora hummed appreciatively and opened the case, putting the disc into the console and grabbing the controller before leaping back onto the sofa and settling into playing whilst Ventus watched.

This was usually how their nights started. Food, taking turns to play one player games, and then playing with or against each other on a multi-player game such as Call of Duty. Normally, all of Ven's attention would have been focused on the food in his mouth and the small, cloaked character performing acrobatics on screen under Sora's guidance, but tonight he seemed to have an extra range of perception. He could hear his twin and Vanitas moving around upstairs, feel the very light thump of their music reverberating through the floor, smell the weed they were smoking. It was as though a Vanitas sensor had been installed in his brain or something, and it was extremely distracting.

"Dude?" Sora was talking to him, he realized.

"Sorry what?"

"How do I climb the tower without the guards seeing me?"

Ven shook himself mentally and swallowed his pizza and the lump in his throat. As he guided Sora through a tricky part of the game, he resolved to not let Vanitas spoil his evening and threw himself into the virtual world of assassins and renaissance Italy, and then after that into the world of Cocoon as Sora helped him through a tricky part of Final Fantasy XIII.

They'd been playing for nearly four hours, and were just about to crank out the Call of Duty and battle against random eleven year olds online, when Ventus' sensors went off and he felt a presence behind him. He took a quick glance over his shoulder and instantly regretted it. Vanitas was leaning on the back of the couch, his face hovering over Ven's head and that same lop-sided smirk in place.

"Having fun Ven?" he asked, his voice sweet and dark and quiet whilst Sora busied himself trying to find the Call of Duty disc, which wasn't in its case where it should be.

"Sod off," Ven mumbled, turning away from Vanitas and staring at the flatscreen indignantly. Unfortunately, this didn't really do much to help him. He could still smell Vanitas' aftershave, feel his presence hovering over him like an angel of death.

"Aww, that's no way for a guest to behave," Vanitas chuckled, ruffling Ven's hair and making sure to scrape his nails over the blond's scalp just enough to send a shiver down Ven's spine. "C'mon, be more appreciative of my hospitality."

Ven gritted his teeth, feeling his boxers become distinctly tight. Why did Vanitas suddenly have this effect on him? It wasn't fair! And what exactly was he expected to do to show his "appreciation" of Vanitas' hosting skills? He certainly wasn't going to be nice to the guy!

"Don't you have another guest to attend to upstairs?" he muttered, feeling his face grow hot.

"Your brother is so high he wouldn't know if I was in the room or not. I got bored so I came down to talk to you, Ven. Don't you want to talk to me?"

"What do you think?"

Fingers drifted across the back of his neck, making him jump slightly. "I think that you need to take a bathroom break in fifteen minutes. In the upstairs bathroom. With me."

"Perv, as if I'm going to do that! We had a deal!" Ven was so angry that he could barely see Sora faffing about across the room anymore. A red haze had slowly descended over his vision, a mixture of fury and restrained lust, a very hateful cocktail.

"Hmm… Well, how about if I told you that the terms of the deal don't become effective until tomorrow?"

Ven blinked and whipped around to look at Vanitas, dumbstruck. "What?"

Vanitas shrugged. "I can be nice when I want to be. You didn't get to uh… release your tension this morning. I'm offering you the chance to do it now, before the deal comes into force."

Ven's response was immediate. "I don't trust you."

"Who said anything about trust? C'mon, what's the worst that could happen?"

"I could take you up on your offer and then you tell me that the deal actually is effective now, and therefore I would lose! Anyway, I can't stand you. So no thank you, Vanitas." Ventus turned back around with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine. But my offer still stands."

"What offer?" Sora asked, flopping back down on the sofa next to Ventus as the opening music for Call of Duty blasted out of the telly.

"My offer to make Ven a cup of tea."

The reply was so stupid, so completely unbelievable. Vanitas was a dick, he would never make anybody tea, unless it was spiked with vodka or something. But Sora shrugged acceptingly, and in that moment Ven wasn't sure which brother he wanted to hit more.

"Well, I'd like some tea if you're making it!"

"Dream on, idiot."

Ven felt that ominous presence vanish behind him as Vanitas pushed himself off the back of the sofa and walked out of the room, and let out a huge sigh of relief, which typically, Sora didn't notice.

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><p>They were halfway through their first survival mission, teamed up in a pair against two extremely stroppy young teenagers who sounded like they might be Australian, and Ven was very conscious of the fact that fifteen minutes had passed and that Vanitas was no doubt waiting upstairs for him to cave in and accept his 'generous offer'.<p>

His tongue snaked out to wet his lips as his fingers moved on autopilot, his character moving to duck behind a pile of crates. Gunfire sounded out all around him whilst he reloaded his weapon. Sora was making a suicide run, pelting through the sea of bullets towards the building where their opponents where probably hiding.

_The terms of the deal don't become effective until tomorrow._

Ven mentally slapped himself. _Like I fucking care! He's a perverted dickhead, I wouldn't go up there even if there was no deal!_

But the pressure in his shorts told him very much otherwise. He could barely concentrate on the game, and Sora was getting pissed off that he kept dying.

"Dude! Seriously, stop giving them openings!"

"Sorry, sorry." This was ridiculous. Vanitas wasn't even in the room and he was impeding on Ven's social life.

They won the survival round by a hair. Sora dropped his controller on the sofa and stood up with a stretch. "You're off-form tonight dude."

"Sorry. Need to go the bathroom," Ven muttered, his brain screaming at him to make a different excuse before it was too late. He got up off the sofa and walked out of the living room into the hallway, past the downstairs bathroom towards the stairs. Feeling like a prisoner in his own body which he could no longer control, he began to ascend the stairs, his heart pounding in his ears.

He was just going to tell Vanitas to fuck off. That's all. Shit, who was he kidding? All Ven could think about was letting those tanned hands run over his chest again, letting those teeth bite at every available expanse of flesh they could gain access to, feeling that strong thick tongue in his mouth again.

_I'm fucking doomed._


	4. Chapter 4

**DEAR MY INCREDIBLE READERS**

So, you were probably expecting an update huh? Well, as you can see, this isn't one… But fear not! I just wanted to let you know some good news!

The good news is… I **am** continuing with He Deals in Lust. **However, **I shall be completely **rewriting **it. I'm not going to delete the story, but the chapters published so far will be replaced with rewritten versions. Hopefully this wont take too long, but I wanted to give you all fair warning so if you really like this version thus far, save it to your computers. I will replace the chapters all in one go (I don't think alerts you of chapter changes….) and put up a new chapter to boot, so when you see the update, **READ THE WHOLE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING.**

Any questions…? Just PM me ;)

See you all soon!


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